"Health MoTs don't have to be performed in the doctors' surgery and can and should be performed by other health professionals."

A spokesman for Diabetes UK said the health checks could ultimately save thousands of lives. Up to one million people were living with type 2 diabetes without knowing it, he added.

"It's quite difficult to pick up the symptoms, which seem to be quite easily put down to people getting older.

"Having these new MoTs cold be a real help in finding these people. We believe people on average live with the condition for 10 years before it is diagnosed."

The spokesman added that spotting diabetes early would free up NHS resources, as the bulk of the money available for diabetes was spent on treating symptoms.

You would need to make sure it was properly resourced

British Medical Association

Dr Lesley Walker, from Cancer Research UK, stressed that high-risk patients must not slip through the net.

But she added: "If we're going to make real progress in preventing life-threatening diseases in this country this is exactly the kind of initiative that's needed."

The British Medical Association, which represents doctors, said the scheme would have to be "properly resourced".

A spokeswoman said: "While it's useful to raise awareness of people's health and the risks to health, you would need to make sure it was properly resourced and that practices are given proper support if the assessments are to occur in the surgery."

The proposal was developed after more than 75% of 1,000 people who took part in a "citizens' summit" in Birmingham last year said they would like a regular health check.

Deprived areas are expected to be the first to start offering the checks, which are expected to become more widely available by 2007 or 2008.

The checks are part of a larger move by the government to see 5% of resources shifted from secondary health care to primary care over the next 10 years.